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Most people store cars in their garage, except Joe — he has an eight-foot-tall robot.
"He's made out of Nerf guns and a lot of toys!" Joe Sulit excitedly exclaimed.
The self-proclaimed "scrap artist" enjoys creating robots out of the old parts he collects from a recycling store in Canberra.
"Since I was a little kid I've always been fascinated by robots," he said.
"It's just that we don't have any access to it and they're very expensive — you watch them on TV or see them in the movies."
Despite having four daughters, all the toys in Joe's garage belong to him.
Using simple tools such as drills, spray paint and glue, he is able to bring his creations to life.
"I can make it talk, light up, and do some movements," he said.
"You can put motion into it using certain motors and electronics, but it can get expensive so what I do is make an art out of it.
"But people get to see it and understand that there's so many things we can do with things that people throw away."
Before moving to Australia, Joe studied computer science in the Philippines.
He said he began collecting old vacuum cleaners and recycled plastic from a young age.
"That's how it all started; I put them together and I was able to make my first robot out of it, and I've been making a lot since then," he said.
A robot he created by the name of Mimo still features in a science museum in the Philippines today.
However, when he moved to Australia with his family three years ago, he noticed a large number of items going to landfill which could otherwise be repurposed, prompting him to, once again, pick up the tools in his shed.
Australia still has a long way to go to find new uses for unwanted goods, according to the Mitchell Green Shed site manager Leanne Porter.
"I've been over to the Philippines which does a lot of recycling of plastics," Ms Porter said.
"They just have this knack for repurposing things into other things … they definitely do a better job than us."
Ms Porter was delighted Joe was putting use to parts that would normally end up in landfill.
"You just need to get creative and look at things in a different light," she said.
As well as being a scrap artist, Joe is also a jack of all trades.
He is a pastor, interior designer and a former radio presenter.
"But I'm just very fascinated with robots for some reason," he said.
"I just want to encourage young people, especially kids, that there's so many things around the house that you can repurpose.
"It's something that will stir your mind and creativity. And, of course, it will help the environment."
Topics: environment, robots-and-artificial-intelligence, contemporary-art, canberra-2600
First posted